For answers to these questions, head for the annual UH Institute for Astronomy Open House on Sunday, April 29, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at IfA's Manoa headquarters on Woodlawn Drive.

New this year will be an "Astronomy School" where visitors can learn how to measure the speed of a galaxy, analyze the light from a star, and track the gyrations of Jupiter's moons.

There will also be tours of the IfA's research laboratories, where the world's largest digital camera is being constructed, and family lectures on topics such as Pluto, dark matter and traditional Hawaiian astronomy.

Children will have the opportunity to play Astro-Jeopardy, simulate a Mars landing using raw eggs, and travel through space in our Starlab planetarium. There will be telescopes available to view Venus and the Sun, as well as practical advice for novice amateur astronomers on how to buy and use telescopes and astronomy software.

Other Oahu astronomy groups that will be represented at the open house will include the Hawaiian Astronomical Society, Ironwood Observatory and the Bishop Museum. Hawaii's budding astronomers will be represented by several schoolchildren who will be exhibiting their displays from the recent Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair.